Mainoo Uncomfortable Having To Fight For Manchester United Spot, Says Amorim

Ruben Amorim said Kobbie Mainoo was uncomfortable having to conflict to commencement for Manchester United but suggested nan 20-year-old could go nan world’s champion midfielder.

Mainoo has made 1 substitute quality successful United’s opening 3 Premier League matches, coming connected for nan injured Mason Mount astatine half-time of the 3-2 triumph complete Burnley earlier nan world break. Under Erik 10 Hag, Amorim’s predecessor, Mainoo was a regular successful nan XI. The Portuguese was asked really nan England world had reacted to being demoted.

“He’s not utilized to fighting for his place, maybe,” Amorim said. “He’s uncomfortable, but he’s a very bully kid. He wants to learn. Sometimes it’s difficult to push different things from nan players.”

Under Ten Hag, Mainoo scored United’s FA Cup-winning extremity against Manchester City successful the 2024 final. Later that summertime he started England’s European Championship last conclusion by Spain. When reminded of this pedigree Amorim pointed to Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha, who erstwhile connected indebtedness astatine Wolves for nan 2020-21 play made only 5 convention starts, arsenic an illustration to Mainoo.

“I retrieve Vitinha was not playing for Wolverhampton,” Amorim said of his compatriot. “Nowadays, you tin spot that Vitinha is possibly nan champion midfielder successful nan world. So you ne'er know. Something tin hap sometimes.”

The coach recruited from Sporting past November continued: “The measurement I play is wholly different from nan past manager. I watched a batch of games from nan Premier League successful Portugal. You tin consciousness past that Manchester United really [played in] transitions. He was nan only feline that calmed down nan game. Now we person different players that calm down nan game.

“Sometimes I expect much from Kobbie Mainoo. Sometimes, possibly if I commencement [him] more, Kobbie Mainoo is going to play and he’s going to get difficult to return out. I request to spell pinch what I’m emotion astatine nan infinitesimal and that is nan only feeling. He’s starting nan last of nan European Championship successful a squad that has a batch of talented players – [Phil] Foden played that game, [Cole] Palmer was connected nan bench. He was playing. I cognize each that, but sometimes I person a different measurement of seeing nan game.”

United are astatine City for Sunday’s derby. Pep Guardiola’s broadside person 3 points to United’s 4 but Amorim brushed disconnected whether nan Catalan was nether nan greater pressure.

“You cannot compare. That feline is winning each nan time. He tin relax if he’s not winning immoderate more. I person to beryllium it each time – I’m really comfortable pinch that. Compare maine pinch nan business of Guardiola, it’s conscionable a joke.

“We proceed to person bigger problems but we are addressing everything. Sometimes we are frustrated, angry, but we are facing each nan problems and we are trying to improve. I spot nan squad playing truthful overmuch amended now. We conscionable request to beryllium much objective to triumph much games and things are going to get easier.”